11.2.12

PIZZA!

What is the number one thing people seem to hate about giving up grains? You might think bread, pasta, cereal, sandwiches..... NO! Pizza. Everyone wants pizza. Well, I'm here to tell you, you DON'T have to give up pizza. You just have to give up "conventional" pizza. And trade it in for something much much tastier.

First, I'd like to start by mentioning that this is a treat. This is not meant for daily consumption. Unless you are busting out crazy workouts every day or making one pizza and eating it over 2-3 meals, either of which I still don't recommend.

That being out of the way, let's move onto the good stuff! One of the main reasons many "diets" fail, as I've mentioned in several of my previous posts, is because people have the WRONG PERCEPTION of the word diet. Diet should NOT be a short term, restrictive, out of the ordinary approach to eating. The correct definition of diet is your normal, daily, day in-day out food and nutritional intake. It should not change. The challenge is teaching people what the correct, healthy diet is.

The even bigger challenge is that not everyone's diet will look identical. Take a small child, for example. They burn a lot of energy. Well, as long as they aren't vegged out in front of the TV. They will need a higher level of carbohydrates. A pregnant woman may also need more carbs, as well as more red meat and dark chocolate. A body builder will need more protein, and a grandmother will need just a pinch of this and a touch of that. But the foods that comprise of these diets should all be similar, depending on your digestive abilities.

So what are these foods? Lots of meats and vegetables, some fruits, healthy fats, nuts, and seeds. NO grains, processed sugars, legumes, chemical additives, or fillers. Here, use this chart for reference:

Hopefully that's pretty food proof for you :) If not, ask in a comment! For any questions as to why, check out my previous posts, or better yet, go to Mark's Daily Apple. He is where I learned a lot about what I know on the topic. And his posts are very entertaining!

Back to how pizza plays into this. People will resist paleo, or fold back on paleo, for one thing. Pizza. So now you have no excuse! If you want to keep it "true" paleo, just omit the cheese! The toppings alone are delicious themselves.

Paleo Pizza

The Food

- 1/2 heaping cup almond meal

- 1 egg

- 1 tbs dried oregano

- 1 tbs dried basil

- 1 tbs dried parsley

- 1/4 tsp salt

- 1 tbs shredded cheese (OPTIONAL! We usually use Parmesan)

- 1 tbs olive oil

* This is a very herb-y crust. If you don't like herbs that much, omit or decrease them, and increase ratio of almond meal

- Pizza toppings! Get creative- the pies featured have a base layer of sauteed sweet potato, onion, and turnips, then piled on top are sliced Roma tomatoes, shredded chicken, a mystery mushroom, spinach, cheeses (feta, goat cheese, and shredded colby jack; again OPTIONAL!)

The Prep
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix everything but pizza toppings
Dump onto an oiled or parchment topped baking pan or broiler safe skillet (cast iron works best!)
Using a large piece of plastic wrap, cover the heap and use your hands to spread into a thin crustSprinkle with almond meal, if desired (gives some extra texture to bottom of finished pizza)

The Method
Bake the crust for 15 minutes, remove and flip
Rub with olive oil
TOP PIZZA! Do as you please, anything works!
Put pizza back in oven for about 10 minutes
Turn on broiler, broil pizza until toppings are golden (about 3-5 minutes)